Foodborne Illness Stable; Salmonella Down

Though salmonella rates fell, cases of food poisoning overall have remained steady in recent years, U.S. health officials say. The new report comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It includes cases in 10 states. The CDC’s reporting system confirmed 19,000 cases of foodborne illness in these states in 2013. About 4,200 people required a hospital stay. Eighty people died. Salmonella alone caused 38% of the confirmed cases. Campylobacter was close behind, with 35% of the cases. Salmonella bacteria caused 15 cases per 100,000 people. That’s down 9% from 2010-2012. The CDC hopes to cut the rate to 11.4 by 2020. Campylobacter rates have been stable for the last 5 years. Vibrio bacteria are a lesser known cause of illness.